Coconut Lime Chicken

Coconut Lime Chicken Breasts – a one pan, Whole 30 approved dish made with only a handful of ingredients. Dairy Free + Paleo

Updated with Instant Pot instructions

This coconut lime chicken is for everyone out there who gets unbelievably bored eating plain old chicken day in and day out but can’t be bothered with making anything too fancy for dinner.

Oh hey, that’s me!

I’ve said it before and (to be honest I can be a broken record at times) I’ll say it again: while I’ve never been the biggest fan of chicken Mike can’t get enough of it. He’s all about the white meat while I couldn’t care less. So naturally that means I have to constantly try to come up with new ways to dress it up and make it something really worth eating.

That being said I’m still happily noshing away on this honey mustard chicken salad – bacon, avocado, mustard….just load me up. While I could wax on about how much I love that salad today it’s all about this coconut lime chicken, and I promise it’s just as good!

Coconut Lime Chicken

Altogether this dish is super easy to make – you only need one large skillet and about 30 minutes to make!

The prep can be broken up into two main parts:

Prepping the chicken

Making the coconut lime sauce

The Chicken

To prep the chicken simply place the breasts between two pieces of plastic cling wrap and pound them down to make them even in thickness. If you own a meat mallet then go ahead and pull that out. I personally just use my rolling pin to bash the meat down and I find it works just as well.

This will help flatten the chicken so that is cooks evenly and make for more tender chicken. Once flattened just sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and pepper and move on to browning the breasts. All you need to do is melt a little coconut oil in your skillet and cook the chicken on each side for about 5-7 minutes until a brown crust forms. At this point you don’t need to worry about cooking the chicken all the way through because you will add them back to the pan later to soak in more sauce/cook through. Until then – remove from the pan and set aside on a plate while you make the sauce.

The Sauce

Once you’ve removed the chicken, give the pan a little wipe down with a paper towel to remove and brown/black bits. Melt a little more oil then continue on to sauté your onion. Cook for a few minutes to soften then add the pepper. After a few more minutes add the chicken stock, cilantro, lime juice and chili flakes to your pan. Bring the mixture to a slight boil and then let simmer for a few minutes.

Finally, add the coconut milk and continue to let the mixture simmer. It will cook down and thicken slightly. After a little more simmering, add the chicken back to the pan and let cook through fully as it soaks up more sauce and that’s it!

Serve the over a bowl of rice or cauliflower rice (for paleo/low carb) to soak up all the extra sauce and enjoy.

Final Notes & Tips

Whole30: If you need this recipe to strict Whole 30 make sure to check the labels on your chicken stock for hidden sugars.

Notes about thickening:

A few people have had issues with the sauce thickening – this could come down to what type of coconut milk you used. Not all coconut milks are the same and some come out thicker/thinner than others. Aim to use a thicker, full fat coconut milk from a can. You can use just coconut cream as well if you have it on hand. If your sauce doesn’t thicken the way you want it to you can add the starch and water mixture to do the trick for you.

Recipe expectations:

While the sauce should reduce down and get thicker as your simmer it, it’s not supposed to be really thick like gravy so keep that in mind as you cook.

This chicken is admittedly not the prettiest looking dish as some of you have commented on. Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the sauce to give it a nice golden colour but keep in mind it will change the flavour. Also remember to wipe down the pan after browning the chicken to remove any leftover brown/black bits. That will go a long way in affecting the final colour.

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic cling wrap and pound them down to make them even in thickness. This will help the chicken cook evenly and make for more tender chicken. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over a medium high heat on the stove. Add the chicken breasts and cook each side for 5-7 minutes or until browned on each side. Remove the chicken from a skillet and set aside on a plate. The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked yet because you'll be returning it to the heat shortly. Wipe down the pan with a paper towel to remove black/brown bits.

Add a little more oil back to the pan along with the chopped onion to the same skillet and sauté for a few minutes to soften. Add the chili pepper if you're using it. Sauté another couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, lime juice, cilantro and chili flakes. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce down to a simmer. Let simmer for about 5 minutes to let reduce down. Add the coconut milk (and the turmeric if using) and bring to simmer again for another 5 minutes. Add the starch and water at this time if you're using it. You may need to raise the heat slightly higher to bring this to a boil to activate the starch. Once the sauce thickens reduce it back down to a simmer.

Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover and let cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve with rice or cauliflower rice with the sauce spooned over the top.

Add an extra sprinkling of cilantro & chillies and enjoy!

Instant Pot Instructions

Press the sauté button on the instant pot and wait for it to heat up. Add the coconut oil. When the oil is simmering add the red onions and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes to soften.

Add the chicken stock, lime juice, red pepper flakes, coconut milk and turmeric. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer for a minute or so. Add the chicken breasts.

Secure the lid on the instant pot and make sure the dial on top is set to 'sealing'. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. (Press 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' to set the timer.) After the time is up the Instant Pot will automatically switch the keep warm. Let it keep warm for 10 depressurising on it's own before releasing the steam valve.

After removing the lid carefully remove the chicken breasts from the soup and transfer to a cutting board or a plate. Cut the chicken up into small pieces.

With the lid off and the chicken out press the 'Sauté' button again. Bring the sauce to a boil and add your starchy water to thicken. Once it begins to thicken turn off the heat and add the chicken back to the pot along with the chopped cilantro. Taste the sauce again to season with addition salt/pepper/ lime juice if need and enjoy!

Notes

If you need this recipe to strict Whole 30 make sure to check the labels on your chicken stock for hidden sugars.

Notes about thickening:

A few people have had issues with the sauce thickening - this could come down to what type of coconut milk you used. Not all coconut milks are the same and some come out thicker/thinner than others. Aim to use a thicker, full fat coconut milk from a can. You can use just coconut cream as well if you have it on hand. If your sauce doesn't thicken the way you want it to you can add the starch and water mixture to do the trick for you.

Recipe expectations:

While the sauce should reduce down and get thicker as your simmer it, it's not supposed to be really thick like gravy so keep that in mind as you cook.

This chicken is admittedly not the prettiest looking dish as some of you have comment. Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the sauce to give it a nice golden colour but keep in mind it will change the flavour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Well, I am so disappointed – and more, that I am compelled to write here… I don’t know if anyone will read this, but part of my reason for posting here is to state and warn some people that— despite all the rave reviews here, not only did this taste bland to us, but it took SO much more time and effort than was stated in the recipe. I am an experienced cook, and this took 90 minutes to get through all the steps! Not the time stated! And then, after all that effort, it was pretty much blah.

All I can say is, think twice before trying this recipe, as far as I am concerned. IMHO

All these comments with people not liking the lime in Coconut Lime chicken makes me wonder what they thought it would taste llke? I LOVE lime, so I thought this was delicious! I, too, found it too watery the first time, but I tried one commentor’s suggestion and only used the coconut cream and skipped the chicken broth for a thicker sauce. It was definitely more tailored to our tastes,and the flavor is amazing!

Made this tonight & it was delicious! I used chicken thigh fillets, added kaffir lime leaves because I love them, a big handful of baby spinach leaves & served it with rice. This dish will be on regular rotation!

I have now made this a few times…SO GOOD! I made it exactly how the recipe says the first time, the only change I’ve made every other time is doubling the sauce. It’s so good need as much as possible! I serve with rice or cauliflower rice and carrots. It’s even good on top of carrots!! Thank you for the recipe. I have sent this to all my gluten free friends telling them it’s a must make!

I’d like to make this dish for a dinner party with 12 people. I’d like to make it either in the oven or slow cooker so that I don’t have to do any active cooking when the guests arrive. Any suggestions?

This is one of my favorite dishes! I tried it a few months ago and it’s become a regular for us (which doesn’t usually happen when I try new recipes). I’ve also made it for countless guests, most of whom have all asked for the recipe. I have even made it in a cast iron, stuck it in the oven to finish cooking the chicken and thrown some veggies in the sauce to make a total “one pan” meal. 🙂

I have to say I kind of threw this together in my Instant Pot, I tossed in some mushrooms too. I didn’t even see the instant pot directions and it still came out great! I do cook my chicken breasts for 35 minutes, though. I prefer shredded chicken because I can’t stand to eat any other form of chicken reheated. I didn’t pound or precook the chicken. I didn’t have peppers so used some cayenne after it cooked, along with salt–seasoned to taste. I didn’t have fresh cilantro but had some frozen with olive oil and tossed that in. Didn’t have arrowroot, used tapioca flour. I mean I literally threw everything in my instant pot with 3 large Costco Organic Chicken Breasts–2 were frozen and 1 was thawed. I just don’t have time to do that much prep work. It was delicious! I love my Instant Pot and this recipe is a keeper–very forgiving! Thank you!

This is now one of our go-to recipes! All of my kids (ages 6, 4, and 1) love it too! I prefer using chicken thighs for flavor and texture, but if I don’t have time to cut off the fat, I’ll stick with chicken breasts and it’s still delicious. I really love the turmeric as well. Everyone I’ve made this for has also enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Desirae! I recommend using coconut milk from a can here because it’s got a much thicker consistency that makes for a silkier sauce. Coconut milk from a carton is just a bit too watery to get the right texture here.

I made this tonight and had to switch the red onion for a brown onion and lime juice for lemon juice because I was short of these ingredients and it was delicious! I will definitely be using your website again!

Hi Ashely! I’ve seen loads of people make this in the crock pot! Most people seem to just dump everything in the crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours. Some people brown the chicken first and then cook (still 3-4 hours)

I really liked this dish…but the turmeric completely changes the flavor and really takes it over. I should have been able to guess that…I included it only because it’s so good for you. It didn’t taste like lime or cilantro to me at all. So…for anyone out there wondering if they should add the turmeric, I’d recommend against it! 🙂 But still try the recipe!! It’s great!

I made this tonight and I am so glad that I did! I was searching Pinterest for something healthy and one dish when this one caught my eye. I doubled it for my family of 6, subbed ghee for half the amount of coconut oil called for, left out the whole red chilli, used one and a half chopped leeks instead of the red onion (didn’t have it), halved the amount of crushed red chilli flakes, and used the turmeric and arrowroot starch. Served it over cauliflower rice and it was a hit! Since it was mild I even blended the left overs to feed our 10 month old – he loved it! I will definitely make this again. Thanks so much for posting!

I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you guys thought 🙂 I also really appreciate you sharing the adaptions you made too – those are always so helpful to see! Thanks Sonya!

I just came across this recipe and had to try it out! So delicious! I used a whole can of coconut cream rather than the measurements to try to thin out the spices for my picky kids, and just let it simmer a few extra minutes. So good! Thank you for the recipe, definitely going to be a regular for me now!

Finally got around to trying this – SO GOOD!!! I added Thai basil cause I had some and wanted to try it and extra cilantro (cause I love cilantro). Served over cauli rice for me and regular for the BF cause he still has a metabolism. 😂 Thanks for a great recipe!!!

One question on the instant pot directions regarding the chicken. Do you pound it thin and saute it first like the stove top directions or do you throw it in raw? Instant pot directions only say to saute the onion and pepper, then add all of the sauce ingredients and then the chicken. Thanks!

I never comment but I have to say, this recipe is AMAZING!!! I have made it probably a dozen times and every time my family raves about it. And it is so easy. I have also suggested it to friends and family, who all loved it. Would love more simple, delicious recipes! Keep up the good work!

Hello! This is my favorite go to recipe! Have you or anyone else made a bunch and frozen it? Was thinking of making individual lunches ahead of time for easy grab and go to work. Wanted to know how it freezes and thaws!

Hi Amanda! I’m so glad you liked it – thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought! I haven’t tried freezing this yet but I’ve frozen similar dishes and I just freeze it and then defrost in the fridge.

Hi Theresa! I haven’t personally made this in the crock pot but I have seen many people tag me on instagram who have. The method is probably similar to how I make it in the instant pot (instructions are included above) but with a longer time – chicken breasts normally takes about 3-4 hours on low to cook. Hope that helps!

Quick question on the Instant Pot instructions. You say “Secure the lid on the instant pot and make sure the dial on top is set to ‘sealing’. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. (Press ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ and set the timer to 5 minutes.)”

So…is it 5 mins or 8 mins? I have not used my instant pot yet – trying it out with this recipe – and I am wondering if there is something I don’t know about timing with the IP or if this is a typo.

Hi, I’m a newby to your site and I’m glad you sorted it out between the 5-8 minutes as I’m intending to get an Insant Pot and I’d hate to blow anything up onto my ceiling like my daughter-in-law did with my pressure cooker. I’m hoping to find more “Low Carb” and Whole30 recipes, so if you have ore in your pocket, please share. Love your site.

Once again, coconut milk proves itself to be a revelation. This was a tasty recipe that I actually had all the ingredients for in my fridge. As per another commenter’s suggestion, I added garlic and some veggies and found it quite delicious. Thanks!

I made it just as the recipe was stated but used 1/2 teaspoon of the optional tumeric. As a side note, it’s easier for me if portions are in ounces or grams vs. saying “1/4 of the recipe” so I dumped everything into a bowl and measured it. As I made it, 4.9 oz was 300 calories, 18g fat, 4.6g carbs, and 30g proteins

I just made this today. After reading the comments, I decided to add one serrano pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and about 1 tsp of grated fresh ginger. I used an immersion blender to finely blend the sauce. It was delicious! I served it over cauliflower rice. Thanks for another delicious recipe to add to my Paleo collection.

Sadly this recipe did not work out for us. The sauce turned out like a brown gravy, not creamy and delicious looking like the picture. It also didn’t taste like coconut lime. I could catch some like, but no coconut. The red pepper flakes over powered. I want to try again because your picture looks so dang delicious. My hubs and I have come up with a few tweaks to try.

This is now one of my go to recipes. This is delicious. Everyone I’ve made it for raves about it. I have a question, does anyone have a conversion for cooking it in the instant pot? If so how do you do it?

So glad you liked it! I don’t yet have instant pot instructions yet but I will be making trying it out and updating the recipe sometime in the next week or so to include it since I’ve gotten so many questions about it

Hi Maddison! Not stupid at all! I actually did this recently too – I ended up using 6 large chicken breasts and then just doubling the amounts of everything else. If you’re not crazy about too much spice stick to one chili pepper though. The extra sauce worked out well poured over rice/cauliflower rice. It might take a little longer for the sauce to reduce down and thick up so keep that in mind when making it. Hope that helps!

I don’t ever comment on these type of things but just made this for dinner. It was amazing!! Very well received by my hubby, I was pretty chuffed with it too. Thank you! I’ve just printed it for my recipe book. A definite keeper.

Amazing recipe! I think people who may have struggled with it just don’t have a knack for improv cooking. I played with it, kind of eye balling the ingredients and adding in jalapeños to add some spice. Also used coconut cream and loved the thickness it added. Really yummy, definitely in the rotation of house favorites!

I’m sad that I didn’t share the same enthusiasm others did about this recipe. We felt it didn’t quite have enough flavor. We followed the recipe exactly but we just felt it was missing something. I will try it again as a solid base, but we will play around with adding some additional spices!

I wish I could give this recipe 10 stars!!!! Incredible flavor in under 30 minutes with a total of 4 items to clean (pot, spoon, cutting board and knife). The entire family (5-37 yr odl) loved it- should have doubled. Definitely added to our weekly meal list. THANK YOU!!

Hi Sarah Made this dish tonight…was really nice. Not to ‘heavy’ but still had great flavour. I had doubled the amount of chicken and doubled everything else, plus a little extra. Didn’t put any fresh chilli in it as kids were eating, but 2 chillies would of made it the bomb. I also added a tablespoon of fish sauce.

Just tried to make your recipe. I should not cook when I’m tired however I totally messed it up but it still was delicious. I used a whole can of coconut milk and forgot the chicken broth so no need to use a thickener. I added a carrot, red bell pepper, cauliflower (because I did not feel like making a side dish of veggies) and lemon grass. Added some Thai basil on top for garnish and served it with rice. I did not mean to make so many changes but at least it turned out amazing. Thank you for the inspiration.

Made this tonight and my husband and I loved this. Added some cornstarch to thicken the sauce but overall, this was so. good. I served mine with roasted garlic broccoli and cilantro lime white rice. I put tbe extra sauce over both the sides and it was amazing. Thanks for the great recipe! Will make again for sure.

This was sooooo good. I saw a few comments somewhere about doubling the sauce so I did-that way I had plenty to drown my cauliflower rice!! I’m currently in a round of Whole30, and always looking for different things, I would make this anytime though!!

Omg this was so good! I followed the recipe exactly but left out the pepper because we don’t like spicy food (still put in the red chili flakes for a tiny kick!). Thank you for the recipe! This is the first I’ve been on your site and I’m about to scour for more yummy recipes!

This recipe was fabulous! I’ve had it pinned for ages and finally decided to make it today. I served it with mashed parsnips and cauliflower rice, and the “gravy” was delicious on both veggies . An awesome whole 30 recipe!!!

I browned the chicken in a crockpot and then added the stock, onion, jalepeno, red chili flakes, 1/2 of lime juiced and garlic. Cooked on low for 3 1/2 hours. Then added coconut milk and Sriacha for 15 min and added constartch mixture for 20 min. squeezed in other half of lime. Very good and easier since in the crockpot

Finally made this last night and it was AMAZING! It’s been on my list for months. Our dinner plans changed last minute and was able to whip this up quickly because I had all the simple ingredients on hand. And my 4 year old raved about it!! I’m just sad I didn’t take a pic to post on my Insta and that there were no leftovers. This will definitely find a spot in our rotation. Thanks for this super yummy and simple recipe!

Our attempt wasn’t quite what I thought it would be, last night, but this is my first time making chicken with a pan sauce, paleo-style, and I’m definitely sure there’s a learning curve, there! Waste not, want not, however, so, for leftovers, I’ll be shredding the chicken and serving it more as a soup (I doubled the sauce). Maybe better on Day 2? Thanks so much for the recipe- I look forward to trying more!

Hi Hannah! Sorry to hear that it didn’t live up to expectations! Was there anything in particular you were crazy about or didn’t come out right that I can help you sort out? Hope you enjoy it more today!

Hi there! I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest, showed it to my husband, and he is begging me to make it for him as soon as possible. Based on the comments here, it sounds like we are in for a treat! Quick question though, I prefer chicken breasts but my husband prefers chicken thighs. Would the cooking need to be adjusted at all to make this with thighs or a mix of breasts and thighs?

If you want to cook thighs with the bone still in then make sure you pan cook the chicken longer 10-12 minutes per side inside of 5-7. From that point on everything should be pretty much the same – just add the chicken back to the coconut mixture and cook for 10-15 minutes. If you want to cook boneless thighs the cooking time will be pretty similar to breasts – maybe an extra couple of minutes. Hope that helps & I hope you both enjoy the recipe! 🙂

I’ve had this about 5 times now. Love it. I use about 8 dried birds eye chillis chopped up. Gives it a lovely kick and really compliments the lime. I also cut up the chicken to bite size pieces. One of my favourite quick meals.

Holy yum! I made this last night and it turned out perfectly! SOOOO good! I used tapioca flour in place of the root starch which turned out great. I also put in a red bell pepper instead of a chili pepper since my little guy was eating with us. The only thing wrong with this meal had nothing to do with your awesome recipe–but cheap chicken. Anyway, I encourage all to make this recipe! Easy and delicious! I can’t wait to eat leftover tonight and make this again!

So yummy!! I used an entire can of coconut milk (because I love it so much) and only a splash of broth to deglaze the pan after sautéing the onions. Also, I used gluten free oat flour to thicken the sauce. I never leave comments but I just had to for this recipe. I’ve also shared the link with a few friends. Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe. This will be making its way into my “Weekly Meal Plan” Pinterest board!

Since the amounts vary slightly depending on how much your reduce the sauce down while cooking I don’t give an exact measurement per serving size. I just didn’t feel like I could give an accurate answer there. It’s just 1 piece of chicken & about 1/4th the amount of sauce. Hope that helps!

I don’t understand how you used the same pan for both parts of the recipe and your sauce still came out a creamy color? Mine turned brown and I would expect it to after sautéing the chicken in it. Do you clean your pan in between? If not, any thoughts on what I could do different?

Hi Kristina! I think one factor may be the type of pan – when I made this for my parents using their non stick skillet it had a slightly different colour. If yours is turning out too brown for your liking that I think wiping it down in between the chicken and making the broth would be a good idea! That way you’re at least starting out with a fresh slate. Hope that helps!

Mine didn’t look anything like this. I am new to paleo… maybe the wrong coconut milk? My color was off the taste wasn’t so good. Maybe the arroww root.. I really wanted it to turn out good but mine wasn’t 🙁

Loved the flavors in this! I added some Trader Joe’s frozen green beans when I put the chicken back in the pan to bump up the veggies. It all came together very quickly for a great weeknight meal with lunch leftovers!

I use a lot of recipes off line, but for some reason I don’t usually leave comments. This time though, I absolutely had to! This sauce was the most amazing thing I’ve had in a very long time!!!! It has a great balance between the lime and the coconut! I’m in love!! Thank you so much!!

Mine tasted good when I made this tonight but it didn not look like your picture. It thickened up more and there isn’t as much sauce. I wonder what I did wrong. Maybe next time I need to add more chicken stock?

Hi Candyce! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Like you said in the other comment – I think it might have simmer for too long by the sound of it. Stove top temperatures can vary and yours might run at a consistently high temperature than mine which could result in your sauce evaporating more than it should. Next time I recommend cooking for less time, or adding a bit more chicken stock like you said.

I’m glad you still enjoyed it though! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment/review! Let me know if you’ve got more questions and I’ll try to help you out!

I’m going to try this tonight! Something to note about arrowroot starch is that it thickens when it isn’t too hot. If it is too hot it doesn’t do anything until it cools back down, so it’s hard to gauge if you have enough if you don’t like to measure. I’ll often use tapioca starch or cassava flour if I care that much. This is going to be awesome!

Absolutely loved this! I made it for me and a friend and it was fantastic. I added a little too much red pepper flake (which turned out to be great) and cooked the chicken in a little white cooking wine. The only thing I’d do you have any suggestions for veggies to add to the dish? I’m a sucker for just packing everything full of veggies.

So glad you liked it! I love that you also added white wine to it-that sounds fantastic! Usually whenever i want to up the veggies I just throw in whatever I have in while the sauce is cooking or steam something like broccoli at the same time. I think set peppers go well in this and I can always pack in a ton of spinach pretty easily. Hope that helps!

Hi Alicia! Did you add any type of starch to thicken the sauce? I think different coconut milk brands can make a difference as far as thickness goes. I never need to use starch myself, but based on the feedback I’ve received for this recipe it can go either way. If you did add starch and it still didn’t thicken, was the broth simmering/boiling when you added it? If it wasn’t that may have been why it didn’t thicken. Other than that it may have just needed to cook for a little longer. The longer it cooks, the more it will reduce down which should thicken the sauce. Hope that helps!

Hi Eliz! I say in the recipe to use arrowroot for a paleo version and then list corn starch as well. I list corn starch because it’s a much more accessible ingredient to most people. That and a lot of people aren’t necessarily wanting a Whole30 recipe – just something easy to make for dinner. I’ll try to make that more clear in the recipe though incase isn’t not clear enough. Thanks for pointing that out to me!

This dish was a hit. My husband can’t eat too spicy but I like a litle kick so I added a small can of chopped green chilies. I also roasted a can of baby arichockes and added them at the end. I used tapioca starch because I had it and it thickened beautifully. I was barely halfway through my serving and my sons plate was clean, I mean clean! Husband only needed to add a little bit of sour cream, such a wimp :). Made riced califlower to absorb the goodness. A definite keeper. Oh, to cut down on prep time it’s nice when your partner volunteers to be sous-chef.

I am not sure exactly what I typed in my search engine or what page I linked from to come across your site, but am I ever glad I landed here. This recipe is delicious! So simple and easy to make. My husband and I were fighting over the leftovers the next day – I can’t wait to try out some more of your recipes! Thanks for sharing them.

I found this tonight and made it for my family and it was SO GOOD! For sooooooooome reason, I started this at 3PM and when I finally finished and looked up at clock it was 6PM! I have absolutely NO IDEA why in the world it took me THREE HOURS to make, but it turned out wonderfully regardless! I had to double this recipe since I have 6 people to feed, and I thought I’d run into problems once I realized I wasn’t supposed to premix the chicken broth and coconut milk, but even that turned out fine once I added enough corn starch to thicken it (we Texans like our gravy, so it was very thick!). My grandmother makes a version kind of like this but lemon chicken with no coconut milk, so it was hard to make my taste buds accept that it was SUPPOSED to taste differently lol.

I never usually come back to a blog to comment on a recipe – in fact, this might be the first time, but I made this recipe tonight and it is absolutely DELICIOUS. I can’t wait to make it for friends and family. I was sipping the coconut sauce like soup! My husband loved it too. We’re traveling in Thailand now and happened to have all of the ingredients for this dish at our place in our tiny little kitchen, which was another bonus. Thanks so much for this recipe!

I haven’t made this yet, I’m planning to try it tomorrow but I wanted to thank you for having such detailed instructions. I didn’t grow up cooking so it’s nice to have an explanation like flattening the chicken. Based on the reviews, I’m sure I’ll love it.

Thank you so much for saying that! I try to always remember (although I’m sometimes bad at it) to spell out instructions clearly. I’ve found myself stuck in the middle of far too many recipes before when I’m not sure what it is exactly that I’m supposed to do. I hope you love this as much as we did!

Excellent… Seriously awesome. I realized that the package of chicken breasts I had on hand was pretty small, so I diced them up after browning and added fresh green beans that I had pre-boiled to the skillet along with the chicken for the last part of the cooking time. I couldn’t find coconut cream at Whole Foods, but I had read on another site to buy a can of full-fat coconut milk and refrigerate for a few hours prior to cooking. The cream rises to the top and that’s what I used…. No need for me to add the arrowroot/water mixture. Sauce was a perfect consistency! Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe. Me and my family thank you!

I used full fat here for the consistency, but if you want to use a light milk substitute that shouldn’t be a problem. You’ll probably just want to thicken the sauce. Someone else left a comment a while back saying that they used almond milk instead and thickened the sauce with arrowroot starch and water and it still came out delicious. Hope that helps!

I found this recipe and gave it a go. It was fantastic, although mine didn’t turn out near as pretty. It still tasted great. Where could I find the calorie amount of the meal? Thank you again for sharing this fantastic recipe!

So glad you liked it! I just uploaded a nutrition label for this below the recipe if you want to know more than just the calories. According to the nutrition calculator I use it comes out to about 317 calories for 1 chicken breast & 1/4 of the sauce

This recipe was AMAZING! I loved it! I do have one question though…..It says (4) chicken breasts. How much weight would that be about? Because I think I used way too much chicken…..I had two chicken breasts, about 2 1/2 lbs of chicken total? It seemed like there was way more chicken than I should have.

So glad you liked it! I should have clarified the weight on the recipe! The chicken breasts that we’re usually able to buy weighs about 5-6 ounces per breast which comes out to around 1 1/2 pounds of chicken for 4 pieces. I’ll make that more clear in the recipe!

This recipe was so delicious, my husband and I fought over the leftovers! We have a local Thai restaurant that makes a coconut soup that tastes just like the sauce. Next time we are going to triple the recipe and chop up the chicken to make it into a soup! I shared this on Facebook with my friends. Thanks for the recipe!

So, I see the title is coconut lime chicken, but I’m wondering if the coconut flavor is prominent? A silly question, maybe, but my husband HATES coconut, however, I’ve used the coconut milk in chicken curry before and he loved it. Just curious what you think. Thanks!

Personally, I don’t think the coconut flavor is that strong. If he’s ok with coconut based curries in the past I *think* he might be alright with this one because a lot of the other flavors shine through. Hope that helps!

Hello! I made this and it came out delicious, followed he recipe to a T! I want to make this again for a group of 10 though. How do you suggest going about that? I was thinking browning the chicken in batches and making the sauce in batches then throwing it all in a casserole to finish in the oven? Maybe? Not sure on time or temp though. My cast iron skillet isn’t the biggest, so I think finishing in the oven would be my best bet. Thoughts?

This recipe was delicious! I made a few adjustments simply because I did not have all the correct ingredients in my cupboard. I used almond milk instead of coconut milk, and to thicken it a bit more, I added additional yarrow root with water. Thickened up quite nicely, although I’m sure the whole fat coconut milk would have been better. I’ll make sure to have that handy next time. I also used black pepper and cayenne as in place of chili flakes. I also didn’t have breasts so I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Sauce was delicious! Thank you for the recipe, and we will definitely make it again soon!

I omitted the cornstarch and it worked fine for me. Also important to note, 1 lime is equivalent to about 2 tablespoons, or one ounce. 1 tablespoon was not enough for the limey flavour so I did the whole lime which was small at 2 tablespoons.

Thank you for the recipe. I have a lot of mouths to feed so I made it plenty of chicken tenders and added sliced baby Bella mushrooms to it as well (we love mushrooms). The end result was amazing thanks to your recipe. The sauce is so good I literally can drink it. The lime and coconut oil combo with cilantro is just out of this world.

I would try to use it within 3-4 days- I’m not sure exactly how long it will keep, but in my experience any longer than that and it starts making questionable smells. You can freeze the milk if you don’t want to use it right away and then you don’t need to worry about it going bad

Delicious flavors! I thought the sauce was very thin, too, but it didn’t bother me. I used canned, full fat coconut milk. I would, however, change to adding the cilantro at the very last moment, otherwise it’s not vibrant and green like your pictures. I couldn’t taste the cooked cilantro, either. Next time I would add a little bit of thickener and wait to add the cilantro till the end. Thank you for the fabulous recipe! One last thing – I used the remaining coconut milk from the can as part of my liquid when making my rice, to make a coconut rice – yum!

I love the idea of using the water from the can to make the rice! I’ll have to try that next time. I’ll make a note about the cilantro – I always add extra cilantro at the end of dishes because my husband really likes it, but I now realize that it might be misleading in the pictures. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

I would definitely put in your ingredients that you need corn starch. The picture you posted of yours, the sauce looks thick. When I made mine, it was straight water. I didn’t have corn starch on hand so I used flour

Hi Roxanne – sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. What kind of coconut milk did you use? I’m wondering if I need to specify the type of coconut because whenever I make this I never have issues with it being too thin. I know canned coconut milk can be very different from brand to brand and I think that might be why some people have problems getting their sauce to thicken properly. I’m sorry again it didn’t work out for you – I hope it still tasted good!

This was delicious! I didn’t have chicken breast so I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and sliced them into large strips so they would cook faster. I also used a poblano pepper instead of a chile. I didn’t have a problem with the sauce being thin but I did use coconut cream instead of milk. So good, definitely making again.

Coconut cream is basically just super thick coconut milk. You can find it in cans of full fat coconut milk – it’s usually the thick stuff at the top when you open the can. You can also buy coconut cream on it’s own in a lot of mainstream grocery stores these days.

This recipe looks amazing! Thanks for sharing. Since I found it under Whole30 on Pinterest I just wanted to add one thing. The Organic Chicken Stock: Make sure you make a note for people to read the label. I have, unfortunately, found that even organic chicken stock adds sugar :-/ which is not Whole30 approved (that was my disappointment when cleaning out my pantry). Like I said, saving this because it looks AMAZING!!!!

I made this for dinner last night. Since reading in the comments that the sauce was on the thin side, I decided to thicken it just a little with a bit of cornstarch (mixed 1 part cornstarch with 3 parts water then stirred it into the simmering sauce). DH was late coming home from work so this sat on the stove on low for an extra 20 minutes. I was worried that the chicken would be overcook and be dry but it was just the opposite. DH kept saying how moist it was and loved the flavours. Seriously, how could you go wrong with coconut and lime? These are two of my favourites. Thanks for sharing this easy and delicious recipe!

Hi Andrea! This sauce gets thicker as it reduces down, but it doesn’t necessarily get thick like a gravy type of sauce. If you do want it to get thicker in that way then you can mix 1 tablespoon corn starch (or arrowroot flour for a paleo version) with 1 tablespoon water. Mix together until there are no lumps. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and add the water/starch mixture. After a minute or two your sauce should be noticeably thicker. Hope that helps!

I’m actually embarrassed to say that I am one of those people who eats plain chicken almost every night! I am not creative when it comes to making chicken, so I’m glad you came up with this simple recipe for me to try! Love all things coconut and lime 🙂

That’s not embarrassing! Mike’s the same way. He’d happily eat it any way – I just get bored eating the same things which I could probably blame on Pinterest/seeing so many great recipes everyday 😀 Thanks Bethany!

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